Pleasant Valley High baseball team walks off with 6-5 win over Orland

Chico >> Samson Abernathy didn't like how the Pleasant Valley High baseball team's game against Orland started.

He made sure the finish was much better.

The senior's shot to deep left field scored Ian Melton and Ryan Steindorf as the Vikings walked off with a 6-5 victory against the visiting Trojans on Monday at Ron Doryland Field in the Hooker Oak Recreation Area.

"This is going to be a memorable one," Abernathy said after he got to soak in the moment near second base as his teammates rushed him to celebrate the come-from-behind victory.

Minutes earlier, Orland — down to its final strike in the top of the seventh inning — had taken a 5-4 lead on Westin Foster's two-run single to score Caden Crowston and Devan Barley.

And in a game not short of big moments late, PV, which had trailed the entire game, had taken a 4-3 lead on Justin Morris' two-run double to the right-center gap in the bottom of the sixth inning.

But Abernathy had the last say after Orland scored three runs in the top of the first off of him that not only included an RBI double from Garrett Ferreira and run-scoring single from Tony Esquivel but also an error and Foster reaching base after he struck out on a wild pitch.

"I was missing up," said Abernathy, who drove in three runs and was 2 for 4. "My arm was lagging."

That left the Vikings (16-3) in a hole from the start, and Orland starting pitcher Levi Paschall kept them in it. The senior went four-plus innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

PV got to him for one run in the third inning with singles from Ryan Busby, Melton and Abernathy. Paschall exited in the fifth inning, after Morris walked and Busby chopped an infield single up the middle.

The Trojans (6-5) turned to Ferreira. Coming off a complete-game win against Winters, Ferreira minimized that threat with an RBI groundout from Steindorf that kept Orland ahead, but barley, at 3-2.

The lead wouldn't hold as Morris ripped a double to the right-center gap to give PV its first lead of the game at 4-3 after Jake Dani loaded the bases with a well-placed bunt past Ferreira toward the shortstop side.

The advantage was short-lived. A single from Crowston and an error on a Barley bunt had Orland in position. Melton came in relief of Nick Jackson, and he got a shallow fly and a strikeout, bringing Foster to the plate with the game on the line.

The two battled to a full count that included a wild pitch to send the runners to second and third. Then Foster delivered for a 5-4 advantage.

"I was pumped. I think I got it," Foster said, disappointed with the finish. "We'll only grow to be better, work harder. We'll keep our heads up."

PV had one more chance, and that's all it would need. Melton, who was 3 for 3, ripped a triple to right-center and Steindorf was hit by a pitch. Abernathy didn't waste much time, jumping on a 1-0 fastball to deep left field. He was standing at second when Steindorf scored for the Vikings' victory.

PV wouldn't have had the chance, but after the first inning the relievers kept the Trojans from padding their lead. Ben Elder, who took over for Abenarthy in the second, threw three scoreless innings. Jackson threw two-plus innings of relief as he struck out the side in the sixth.